Write out a quotation from the book and explain how it is ambiguous, how it develops some psychological aspect of the story, or how it adds to one of the themes that we have been discussing in class.
And have a relaxing and safe spring break. Be good and be careful.
Kiera Wesley
ReplyDeleteOne of the main reasons that The Turn of the Screw is interesting to read is because of the ambiguity in the language. It leaves the text to be interpereted however the reader seems fit. This often makes the interpretation much creepier than it may sound if it were to be just written straightforewardly. One of the main ambiguities that we have encountered so far, is the characted of Peter Quint. Miss Grose can be seen saying that "...Quint was far too free with Miles..." We know little about Quint- mostly that he was lower-class, was a bad influence on Miles, and is dead now. And this quote can be taken in several different directions. The first thing that came to mind are the sexual undertones in this. It could be that Quint shared information with Miles about sex or even went so far as to sexually abuse him. It is also shown that he had seduced Miss Jessel, and as a lower-class man this would have been a scary thought back then. It is also ambiguous as to how he treated everyone, not just Miles. One could assume his being free with people could mean that he was either sexually abusive or seductive, or just plain rude and had bad manners.
"In mourning-rather poor, almost shabby. But-yes-with extraordinary beauty." (pg 52)
ReplyDeleteThis helps create an eerie feeling in the book. But furthermore, we don't know if the governess is exactly lying or not. There is no proof that the governess is lying or telling the truth. Also, this could just be her imagination running wild after nights upon nights of getting little to no sleep at all.
Jenn Hergert
ReplyDelete"It was a pity I should have had to quaver out again the reasons for my not having, in my delusion, so much as questioned that the little girl saw our visitant even as I actually saw Mrs. Grose herself, and that she wanted, by just so much as she did thus see, to make me suppose she didn't, and at the same time, without showing anything, arrive at a guess as to whether I myself did!"
The governess begins to wonder whether or not she actually saw the ghosts; Flora pretended like she hadn't, after all, so maybe they are simply products of the governess's imagination. In this way, the ghosts could be ambiguous; they could be real or imaginary. The children could then be ambiguous as well; are they really the perfect angels that the governess imagines? Or are they something much less so? Either way, the governess is being tricked, whether it be by little children or her own eyes.
Will Quattlebaum
ReplyDeleteIf it was...it was at least as marked that for such a boy to have been "kicked out" by a schoolmaster was a mystification without end." (pg. 63, Chapter 9)
This quote brings more of the theme that the governess and Mrs. Grose put the children on a pedestal and believe they are angels. She (the governess) can't seem to grasp why Miles got kicked out school. This is an appearance thing such as in Dorian Grey, where people base their assumptions based on how people look. The kids look especially extravagant and handsome, so the adults are flustered in how they could be so "evil". This is a psychological issue with them, and comes up in the book many times.
"There was a moment during which I listened, reminded of the faint sense I had had, the first night, of there being something undefinably astir in the house, and noted the soft breath of the open casement just move the half-drawn blind". p.64
ReplyDeleteThe main goal that this quote best represents in the story is the creepiness of the house at night. Though the blind moving and the feeling of the spirit is noted, how can we be so sure that it isn't imagination hard at work? This quote is a perfect example of demonstrating the feeling of fear, also weather the ghost is real, or a figure of a tired imagination.
Crystal Nybo
ReplyDelete"They not only out at me as tigers and as Romans, but as Shakespeareans, austronomers and navigators." (pg 63)
This quote shows how much the governess admires the little children and makes me think that the children might have something to do with the trickery. She thinks they are so pure and special. This also leads me to think that Mrs. Gross is smarter then she lets on and through this she has the upper hand and might be playing the governess. A lot of the information we know is from Mrs. Gross therefore, she can make us believe anything she wants us to.
Christine Nafziger
ReplyDelete“Why all that we – known and heaven knows what more besides!” then as she released me I made it out to her, made it out perhaps only now with full coherency even to myself. “Two hours ago, in the garden” – I could have scare articulate – “Flora saw.” (pg 49).
This is the first time that the governess thinks that the children know about the ghosts. The governess can see the ghosts and thinks that the children can to but are not saying anything about it. It is weird that children would know this information to themselves because most children are afraid of ghosts. This makes us question if the children are in on some scheme with the ghosts.
Gina Chenoweth
ReplyDelete“Putting things at the worst, at all events, as in mediation I so often did, any clouding of their innocence could only be- blameless and foredoomed as they were- a reason the more for taking risks.” (61)
This is a good quote because it shows the ambiguity in the governess’s attitude toward the children. It shows that she wants to protect the children, although she thinks they might already know. It contradicts itself in a way because she views the children as innocent, but a specific word in the quote “foredoomed” implies that the foreshadowing of the rest of the story.
Anna Billmaier
ReplyDelete"Yet you had then your idea--"
"of her real reason form leaving?" page 53
The ambiguity in this quote is shown through Mrs. Grose completing the governess' sentences. The governess could have been going a different direction with her thought, but Mrs. Grose didn't allow it because of the way she took over in the middle of her thought. This occurs several times in the book, giving the reader the opportunity to decide for themselves what the original thought was. This seems mysterious to me because it's as if Mrs. Grose knew where the conversation was headed and interrupted in order to avoid it from going down that path.
Laura Ahlrep
ReplyDelete"Flora luminously considered; after which, with her little devine smile: "Because I don't like to frighten you!" "But if I had, by your idea, gone out?"" (69)
This quote only being a part of the whole section where the governess finds Flora to be missing and trying to make it seem like she wasnt all ties into one way you could translate this book and what the plot seems to be. In this quote it leans towards the idea that the children are in fact all in on the ghost situation and are just messing around with the governess. With the abuguity you can't exactly tell if Flora is for sure telling the truth or hiding something from the governess.
"Perhaps she likes it!"..."Likes such things--a scrap of an infant!" Pg. 31 (in my book)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stuck out to me because it struck me as very disturbing. The governess is talking to Mrs. Grose because she thinks that Flora saw the woman ghost that the governess saw, but she is not willing to admit anything. Mrs. Grose then says that there is the possibility that she likes seeing the ghost. It raises questions with me for what has happened with the interaction between the children and the ghosts when there are no adults there. Maybe the ghosts comfort the children? Make them pretend they are real people because their minds are simply too innocent? The possibilities are endless, but it follows the theme that Henry James leaves a lot for the reader to interpret rather than just telling the reader.
Breanna Taylor
ReplyDelete"Ah no!" She returned, almost resentfully, though with a long sweetness in her little drawl of the negative. (68)
This helps develope the ongoing theme that the children are hiding something. The Governess seems to pay more attention to the childs sweetness rather than picking up on her resentful tone. The children are using their beauty to blind her with love, and it's kinda creepy.
Lexy Kaftan
ReplyDelete"He's not reading to her," I declared: "they're talking to them- they're talking horrors!I go on, i know, as if i were crazy; And it's a wonder i'm not." (p.79).
This statement is ambiguous because this story or if the governess is actually seeing the ghosts is debatable even though she claims she is sane and actually seeing the ghosts. Through out the story everyone questions whether she is crazy or actually seeing the ghosts.
Bridget Cook
ReplyDelete"They haven't been good - they've only been absent. It has been easy to live with them because they're simply leading a life of their own."
The governess is finally realizing that the children are living a different life than what she had originally believed. They are secretive and hide the bad things they do and only act kind around her. This adds to the idea that the Governess thinks the children are angels, but now she is staring to see their true identities.
Savannah Guillen
ReplyDelete“Think, you know, what I might do!” (78)
This is what Miles says to the governess after she finds him outside in the middle of the night. Miles claims that he wanted to show her just how “bad” he was, although the governess believes that he was probably meeting with Quint’s ghost. This quote from Miles develops the psychological aspect of the story because on the one hand, Miles might just be trying to act tough, but on the other hand, he might actually mean it because he was influenced by the evilness of Quint. The governess is unsure about what horrible things Miles is capable of, but the fact that he was kicked out of school is a pretty good indication of what he may do.
Brody Hovatter
ReplyDelete"Think me - for a change - bad!" pg. 76
This is Miles' response upon being questioned by the Governess about what he was doing on the lawn in the middle of the night. Miles claims that he wanted to show the Governess that he could be bad, since she always looks upon him with such admiration. However, I'm skeptical that this was really the reason, and that he was actually contacting Quint. This quote supports the idea that the children are lying and decieving the Governess.
Sarah Hale :)
ReplyDelete“I’ve never seen one like him. He did what he wished.” Mrs. Grose pg 53
In my opinion, this is one of the most ambiguous statements in the story thus far. In this quote Mrs. Grose was describing to the Governess how Peter Quint, the ghost that the Governess claimed to see earlier in the book, acted during his time as a sort of servant at Bly. She described him as, “so dreadfully below” when referring to his class, rank, and overall condition as compared to Miss Jessel, the woman who was the children’s caretaker before the Governess. (Miss Jessel and Peter Quint had sexual relations.) Mrs. Grose also describes Peter Quint as a “hound”. Then Mrs. Grose goes on the describe how “he did what he wished…with them all.” This leads us to question not only Quint’s integrity, but because Miles hung around him quite frequently, Mile’s integrity too. So this statement can be taken in a broad spectrum of ways, at lowest spectrum being what I just mentioned-Quint being a bad influence on Miles, or in the most terrible of ways in that Quint exposed Miles to sex. The also leads us to question whether this freeness, this doing as he wished business should be interpreted as Quint merely acting rude towards others or if he were sexually abusing others, specifically Miss Jessel. When the Governess immediately jumps to the far more destructive ends of both prompts regards Peter Quint and harming Miles and others, we question her judgment and whether her assessment of certain situations is really justifiable or if she is trying to make more of something that isn’t even there.
Jaina Shah
ReplyDelete“Purhaps she likes it!” “Like such things- a scrap of an infant” (51)
This quote is ambiguous; because it’s the feeling the girl doesn’t like the kids. We can’t tell that she cares about them or not or she is just pretending to like them. In the past chapter it feels likes them she like them. This basically helps the book to develops it because it making further to read and show what is going to be in the end.
April Dick
ReplyDelete"With a determination-indescribable. With a kind of fury of intention." (51)
Henry James leaves us with yet another ambiguous description of the ghosts and the children. In this case, the governess is recreating the picture of seeing the ghost of Miss Jessel haunting Flora. The ghost's "intention" could mean anything, whether she wants to simply interact with Flora or use her in a way that would eventually corrupt her.
Samielle Foltz
ReplyDelete“My candle, under a bold flourish, went out, and I perceived, by the uncovered window, that the yielding dusk of earliest rendered it unnecessary.” (pg 65)
So her candle suddenly went out. Then how come in the next couple of pages it says something to the extent that “the candles light illuminates her(Flora's) innocent, angelic face”? Something must have happened between the time of her running back to the room to check on Flora because it never mentioned that she re-lit her current candle or grabbed another one that was already lit. To an extent, from this little tidbit, a part of the story can be the Governess's imagination whether it be lack of sleep or she really is just crazy because her candle never really went out like she said it did. This could just be a coincidence, overlooked by the author and editor, but if this story is the result of her overactive imagination then the suddenly re-lit candle should be an indication.
Denisse Manrique
ReplyDelete"It was all the romance of the nursery and the poetry of the schoolroom." p. 26
This quote really sums up the relationship between the governess and the children The quote also helps us understand how the relationship between them grows and how that will eventually change in the book. I believe that their relationship will change and face challenges with this ghost which has stirred things up. The governess might change her attitude with the children throughout the book and find their relationship less romantic like a nursery and poetic like a school room.
Katie Martens
ReplyDelete“At that moment, in the state of my nerves, I absolutely believed she lied; and if I once more closed my eyes, it was before the dazzle of the three of four possible ways in which I might take this up” p 68.
This quote has to do with the uncertainty that the children might also be seeing the ghosts. It has been a question throughout the book if the ghosts that the governess is seeing are real, or if they are hallucinations. I also liked this particular quote because it describes the character of the governess very well. Whenever she hears something that does not go with her belief, then she automatically accuses someone of lying. In this case, Flora said she did not see anyone, and the governess questions her.
Craig Thomas
ReplyDelete"if he had been wicked he would have "caught" it, and i shouldhave caught it by the rebound-i shouold have found the trace, should have felt the wound and the dishonour. i could reconstiture nothing at all, and he was therefore an angel." (pg31)
This quote has to do with the mystery of what the boy acutally did to get kicked out of school. She is talking about how they boy never really talked about school or anything and so she just assumed that he was an angel and everything was going fine when in reality it wasnt at all.
oh and just so you know schindler you would be proud of me. my internet wasnt working so i drove all they way down to the library just so i could turn it in on time
ReplyDeleteKirsten Zoba
ReplyDelete"There was a great still moon to help her, and this fact had counted in my quick decision. She was face to face with the apparation we had met at the lake, and could now communicate with it as she had not then been able to do."
This interaction with the ghost is an example of the ambiguous, spooky interactions the characters have. Nobody is quite sure what they are or where the come from, but only time will tell. It leads the reader to question what is happening, and question the characters even more.
Leslee Fall
ReplyDelete"Instead of it even-as a women reads another-she could see what i myself saw: his derision, his amusement, his contempt for the breakdown of my resignation at being left alone and for the fine machinery i had set in motion to attract his attention to my slighted charms. She didn't know-no one knew-how proud i had beento serve him and to stick to our terms..." (pg. 81)
This quote says a lot in it because it explains the feelings the governess is having about her situation. It shows how much she cares for the man who is responsible for the children and how she wants to please him by doing a good job. It also shows her need to prove to him that she is strong and responsible enough to take care of problems on her own like they agreed on. This is a big theme in the book cause it shows the struggle the governess will have while taking care of the children during tough times.
"How otherwise should I have been bad enough?" (73)
ReplyDeleteIn this quote Miles is responding to the governess during their chat about his actions the night before, regarding him going out onto the lawn. I think what Miles is trying to do is prove to the Governess that she doesn't have control over him and that he can do what he wants. He's also saying that he couldn't think of anything to do that was "bad enough" for him to do and get her to see that he isn't a good kid.
Tori Weisel
ReplyDelete"I was ready to know the very worst that was to be known. What I had then had an ugly glimpse of was that my eyes might be sealed just while theirs were most opened. Well, my eyes were sealed, it appeared, at present.." (85).
In the quote the governess believes that the children are seeing things far more horrible then what she has seen but she has still not gotten up the nerve to ask them about what they have seen. The governess has also not seen anything for a small amount of time so she believes that her eyes are sealed or closed so she can't see what the children see. This makes the governess feel like she can't protect the children from the terrible things that they see and she also wants to help the children to deal with the ghosts they see. I think this quote is good because it helps to really see the emotions that the governess is feeling.
Erik Enselman
ReplyDelete"You must tell me no-and all the truth. What did you go out for? What were you doing there?" pg 76
This is a quote in which the governess is telling Miles to tell her about everything and forcing him to tell her the truth of the ghost. This quote is ambigious because once again no one is sure about what the governess is seeing and whether she is sane or not. She seems to be turning crazy around everyone including the kids.
Brian Gleadle
ReplyDeletebtw my internet was down, so im using DIAL-UP, its like connecting to death.
"For the love of all the evil that, in those dreadful days, the pair put into them. And to ply them with that evil still, to keep up the work of demons, is what brings the others back." pg 79
This quote is about Quint and "that woman" and about how the children are really evil and demons. This is developing upon the theme already present in the earlier parts of the book that the children are actually evil and bringing all this trouble down on her head. Im sure the children are probably all evil and demonic, because thats all children really are anyway...
"I quite agree–in regard to Griffin's ghost, or whatever it was–that its appearing first to the little boy, at so tender an age, adds a particular touch. But it's not the first occurrence of its charming kind that I know to have involved a child. If the child gives the effect another turn of the screw, terror what do you say to TWO children–?"
ReplyDeleteThe Turn of the Screw, the title its self is ambiguous in its own. The idea of "turning the screw" can be seen as many different things. In the first chapter of the story, Douglas uses the phrase turn of the screw to indicate that a ghost story has a more terrifying effect if a specter targets a child rather than an adult, because once the "screw" turns at a young age, it can never be unwound.
Maxx Forde
ReplyDelete"She hung fire so long that I was still more ... mystified. 'He went, too,' she brought out at last.
'Went where?'
Her expression, at this, became extraordinary. 'God knows where! He died.'
'Died?' I almost shrieked.
She seemed fairly to square herself, plant herself more firmly to utter the wonder of it. 'Yes. Mr. Quint is dead.'"
This plays along with the theme of ghosts and other supernatural things because of the fact that they are talking about Mr. Quint being dead and not knowing where he went to after he died. This, of course, could end up being the same place as he is likely to become a ghost. This advances this theme and helps the book quite well.
Jade Baumann
ReplyDelete"How can I retrace to-day the strange steps of my obsession?" (68)
The governess musing on her relationship with the children.
This quote is the governess musing on her relationship with the children. This quote greatly represents the theme that the governess and Mrs. Grose love the children, they think they are angels. One psychological term that comes up throughout the book, is the adults trying to deal with the fact that the children are so evil, when they look stunning and sweet. This is the problem when basing a personality dur to looks.
Jade Baumann
ReplyDelete"How can I retrace to-day the strange steps of my obsession?" (68)
This quote is the governess musing on her relationship with the children. This quote greatly represents the theme that the governess and Mrs. Grose love the children, they think they are angels. One psychological term that comes up throughout the book, is the adults trying to deal with the fact that the children are so evil, when they look stunning and sweet. This is the problem when basing a personality dur to looks.